


My Precious

by MagdaTheMagpie



Series: Marvel & Magic [43]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Death, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Magical Artifacts, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22671118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagdaTheMagpie/pseuds/MagdaTheMagpie
Summary: The Resurrection Stone takes Hermione down a dark road she will need help walking away from. Luckily, she crosses paths with Sharon.
Relationships: Sharon Carter/Hermione Granger
Series: Marvel & Magic [43]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1109643
Comments: 1
Kudos: 56
Collections: Marvelously Magical Bingo 2019





	My Precious

It had taken Hermione over a week to find the Resurrection Stone. She had known whereabouts Harry had tossed it thanks to all the tracks a gathering of Death Eaters had left behind, even all these weeks later, but then she had no choice but to comb the forest ground inch by inch to find the damned thing.

But it had been worth it. The Stone was hers, and she had used it right then and there to conjure her parents back from the other side to beg for their forgiveness.

They did. They understood. They missed and loved her. 

Hermione broke down in tears even when she thought she had no more to shed. But despite their words of comfort, she felt empty, so empty. She curled into a ball on the forest ground and fell asleep in the ghostly arms of her parents.

When she woke up, her parents were gone, but her precious Stone wasn't, so she conjured them again.

She did this often, kept her parents with her, by her side, so they didn't fade away. It was all she could do to keep them alive.

...

Sharon almost called out the other girl for her rudeness, thinking it was another phone-zombie who expected others to get out of their way. But she wasn't on the phone, she didn't have earbuds either, despite holding her end of the conversation with… thin air, apparently.

She would have just shrugged it off and gone on her way if the girl hadn't looked so haunted, to the point of looking sickly.

Aunt Peggy would _murder_ her if she turned her back on someone in need, so Sharon followed her. Besides, it was good practice if she wanted to be recruited by SHIELD.

The target never noticed the tail she had picked up, but then again, most civilians didn't. Her one sided conversation continued, and, to her horror, Sharon realized she was talking to her parents. Being an orphan herself, she recognized a bad coping mechanism when she saw one.

So she staged an accidental meeting, splashed coffee all over her wrinkled blouse and insisted on helping her clean off the stain, claiming she knew an old trick to get it out. She didn't but she would tackle that problem when she got to it.

The other girl narrowed her eyes at her, taking her in. Sharon didn't worry. She knew she didn't look threatening in the least and the two of them seemed to be of an age.

"Fine. I live nearby," she said, walking away and muttering under her breath again.

...

Hermione soon realized Sharon had lied when they first met, and wondered sometimes if she hadn't spilled her coffee all over her on purpose, although she couldn't fathom _why_ somebody would go so far just to talk to her.

Not that she regretted it. Sharon had been a breath of fresh air, a muggle with no idea of who or what she was. Hermione could just be herself for once. No expectations. And she was… perceptive. A bit too much at times, so Hermione had to be careful with her magic, with her precious stone, with the shades of her parents Sharon couldn't see or hear. She had to become more Muggle if she wanted to keep her friendship with Sharon, and she did. They had become close over the weeks, and Hermione didn't think it was only out of pity. At first, sure, but not anymore.

"She does like you, sweety," her mother agreed.

"Maybe she won't get you in as much trouble as all those boys," her father added grumpily.

Hermione smiled at them. They had always been prouder at her making friends than her getting top grades. Seeing where she was now, they had a point. No one cared about her grades, they were useless. Friends were forever. Well… when they weren't too busy. She hadn't seen Harry and Ron in months, but they had auror training and… stuff.

…

Sharon heard Hermione sigh, long and sad. She peeked over her tablet, wondering if this was one of her bad days. They were fewer and further apart, but now and then, she would relapse and talk to her ghosts, turning that tacky stone of hers over and over between her fingers as her eyes glazed over, far far away…

She tucked her tablet safely in her bag, since it tended to go wonky around Hermione for some reason. She got close to Hermione without her even noticing and kneeled in front of her chair, but she was still lost in her mind.

"Hermione?"

She blinked rapidly, eyes coming back into focus and she smiled at her. And just like that, Hermione was back, but for how long? Sharon put her hand over hers, the one holding the black stone in a white-knuckled grip.

"I think it's time," Sharon said softly.

Whatever security blanket this thing was for her, it was still doing more harm than good. Hermione shook her head, her hand clamping harder around the stone, tears on the verge of falling.

"No!"

Hermione's shout startled her. She hadn't expected such a strong denial.

"It's mine. It's… precious. You don't understand."

"Then tell me. Let me help you."

"You already did." 

Hermione's voice and face softened as she gazed at her, making Sharon's heart skip a beat. Damn. She was in deep now, she realized. She had only meant to help out a stranger in need at first, but Hermione was special and unique, so it wasn't long before they had become fast friends, but now… Sharon sighed inwardly. She had always known she would fall for a pretty face with the smarts of a genius and the righteousness of a Captain America.

"I want to help you more, Hermione. Help you overcome that burden you're carrying," Sharon said with a nod at her closed fist.

Hermione laughed, the sound broken, maybe a sob.

"It's not a burden…" Hermione whispered, then glanced around them and beckoned her closer. 

Heart thumping, Sharon did so. Hermione's wild, curly tickled her nose, but she didn't mind and enjoyed the vanilla fragrance of her shampoo, doing her best not to be a creep and inhale her scent like a good whisky.

"What if you could see you parents again?" 

The whisper was barely audible but it made a chill ran all the way down her back to her toes. Sharon recoiled, falling back on the rug at Hermione's feet.

"Is this… a joke?"

Sharon had never seen a shred of cruelty from her friend, had doubted she was even capable of it. She had seen her _carry_ spiders and other pests outside for heaven's sake! Why would she ask such a thing? And wouldn't her answer be obvious? Was Hermione more mentally ill than she had surmised? 

"I wouldn't joke about such things. You know that," Hermione scolded with a frown. She sounded so sincere, Sharon almost _wanted_ to believe her, but then she began having an argument with thin air again.

"Sorry," Hermione finally said, as she looked back at her. "My parents disagree."

"Your-"

"Here," Hermione cut her off, thrusting the shiny black stone in her hands.

Sharon stared at it, transfixed. She had never seen it this close, because Hermione always kept it close and was very protective of it. It was heavier than she would have thought possible for such a small stone, and its black surface seemed to suck in all light. Sharon dropped it, feeling like she had just touched something that was very, very wrong. Hermione hissed at her and snatched the stone back up, as fast as a snake. 

"Hermione, I think you should let that thing go. It's not normal."

"It's precious!" she snapped. "Mine. My precious. You can't have it."

"I don't _want_ it! It's-" Sharon had been about to say disgusting, but doubted that would have gone over well when her friend was under its spell.

Could it be…? No. Sharon scoffed at herself and pushed thoughts of magical stones out of her mind. All she knew was that it was evil, and evil she knew was a real thing, something she could fight against.

"Help me understand," Sharon said instead, knowing Hermione could not refuse such an opportunity to share knowledge.

…

So Hermione told Sharon everything about the Stone, but only about the Stone. She was willing to break the Statute of Secrecy for Sharon, but not all of it. Not now, anyway. She would need to ask for a special authorization soon though, and as much as she hated using her fame, she would, just this once.

Sharon… well, she was either taking the news very well, or she didn't believe her at all and thought she was completely cuckoo.

"Do you want to try?" Hermione asked.

She held out the stone, but it took some tremendous effort on her part not to snatch it right back and run away with it. Her heart raced, throbbed and shrivelled all at once at offering it to another, even Sharon. An eternity stretched between them, during which Hermione thought she was going to pass out, but finally, Sharon took her precious and she could breathe again.

But it was quiet, and empty. Her parents gone.

She watched Sharon to fill the void. Her friend seemed hesitant. Did she not believe her? It probably did sound far fetched for a muggle, but Hermione would have tried anything without hesitation for a chance to see her parents again.

"Don't you want to see your parents?" 

"I do. So much," Sharon breathed out, voice shaky. Hermione glanced at her immobile hand, but she didn't flip the stone as she had instructed. "But I can't. It took me so long to get to this point, to be at peace with their absence. If I see them again…"

And now Sharon understood Hermione's relapses, her talking to ghosts, her living stuck in the past… 

"So it's true?" Sharon asked Hermione, who nodded. "It's not… it's not good for you. I understand now, but I don't think you should keep this up. It's not healthy."

"Easy for you to say," Hermione hissed, making a grab to take the stone back, but Sharon held firm.

"No," Sharon said firmly. "No, it's really not. I want to see them, so bad, but it's not right."

A look of recognition flickered over Hermione's face.

"Someone already told you the same thing," Sharon deduced. "Your friends? No… your parents?"

Sharon scoffed at the irony. The very same thing that was keeping her prisoner was also trying to free her.

"Can you call them? With me?" Sharon asked.

"I… I'm not sure. I don't think anyone ever tried to…"

Sharon opened her hand, unveiling the stone, encouraging Hermione to try. Her hand hesitantly covered hers and together, they turned the stone three times while calling out her parents names and suddenly, two figures appeared, grey and translucent.

"Holy fuck," Sharon blurted out.

"Language," Mrs Granger admonished while her husband chuckled. "Sharon, dear, it's nice to finally be able to speak to you."

"I...er...yes, Ma'am. Sir. Nice to meet you."

Weirdest meet-the-parents in the whole bloody history of humankind. No one was ever going to top this meeting.

"I see you've talked some sense into our daughter," Mr Granger said. "We have tried to convince her to get on with her life, but she's as stubborn as her mother."

"Am not," Mrs Granger sniffed. "We're just strong-willed. Aren't we, sweety?"

Hermione smiled sadly at her mother. The ghostly figure tried patting her daughter's cheek but her fingers went right through and she sighed.

"It's time, Hermione. We all know it, and so do you."

"But," Hermione protested, tears falling down her cheeks as she bit her lip. "I don't want to say good-bye. I can't, I can't."

"We're leaving, darling, for your own good. We couldn't before, but now we'll know you're in good hands even without us by your side."

"Dad," Hermione wailed as her father began to fade.

"You be strong now. Just remember we love you and everything will be fine."

"Mom," Hermione sobbed while Sharon tried her best to keep her own damn tears from falling at the teary goodbye, so she was startled when the two ghost looked at her next.

"You take good care of her," Mr Granger said.

Sharon nodded dumbly. Of course she would, and no only because she was terrified she'd get her ass haunted now if she didn't.

"I love you," Hermione choked out as her parents disappeared for good this time.

The Stone fell through Hermione's limp fingers so Sharon held on tighter, gave her a squeeze, just to let her know _she_ was still there if she needed to hold on to something else. _She_ would be her lifeline, her support, and she swore to herself never to make Hermione suffer the way her precious stone had.

**Author's Note:**

> Before I get told off:  
> -no, I have no idea if Sharon is actually an orphan, but I don't care, she is here.  
> -yes, it is a bad idea to invite complete strangers to follow you back home. Seriously, don't do it.


End file.
